News Picks : Australia eliminates carbon pollution tax

Australian Broadcasting Corp: The Australian Senate voted 39-32 to scrap the country's tax on carbon dioxide pollution. Prime Minister Tony Abbott had led the effort to remove the tax by arguing that it would save the average household several hundred dollars per year. After two earlier attempts to eliminate the tax failed, he was able reach a majority with the assistance of several small parties in Parliament. One of those groups, the Palmer United Party, agreed to support the vote provided that Abbott's coalition then enact an emissions trading program. Whether that will happen is unclear, but opposition parties, including the Greens, say they will increase their efforts to promote policies that address climate change.